Arthur Ryan

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For the American executive with Prudential Insurance, see Arthur F. Ryan. For the Australian rules footballer, see Arthur Ryan (footballer).

Arthur Ryan
BornArthur St. John Ryan
July 1935
Dublin, Ireland
Died (aged 83)
Dublin, Ireland
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • Founder of Primark, and the company's chairman until his death
NationalityIrish
Years active1962–2019

Arthur St. John Ryan (18 July 1935[1] – 8 July 2019) was an Irish businessman who was the founder, chairman, and chief executive of Primark. The company trades under the name of Penneys in the Republic of Ireland.

Early life[]

Arthur Ryan was born the son of a Cork-born insurance clerk in 1935, from Jewish family, and went to the Synge Street CBS in Dublin after moving to the city with his family. After emigrating to London, he entered the genteel world of gentlemen's tailoring as a tie buyer at Swan & Edgar. He also worked for London fashion wholesaler Carr & McDonald. From there, he returned to Dublin and a job at Dunnes Stores in Cornelscourt.[2]

Business career[]

Ryan opened the first Penneys shop on Mary Street in Dublin in 1969.[3] Subsequently, in 1974, he took the model to Britain – renaming the stores Primark to avoid legal problems with US chain JC Penney. The major turnaround came in 2005, when Primark acquired a huge portfolio of Littlewoods stores. Meanwhile, close attention to catwalk trends made it chic as well as cheap. It went from being the "shop that nobody admitted going to" to a Mecca for celebrity shoppers. It now accounts for over a third of parent company Associated British Foods' (ABF) operating profits. In 2009, Ryan gave up his day-to-day control of the firm as chief executive but became chairman instead.[4]


References[]

  1. ^ Cashin, Rory (8 July 2019). "Arthur Ryan, founder of Penneys, has died at the age of 83". Joe.ie. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Old Domain for the Sunday Tribune Ireland". 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016.
  3. ^ Sunday Business Post Article, 2006 Archived 11 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Wood, Zoe (11 September 2009). "Primark's chief executive Arthur Ryan steps down after 40 years". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
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